a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a set of elements presenting each at least one rectilinear edge along which the said elements are articulated to each other by means of protrusions provided on the said rectilinear edges, protrusions which intermesh with each other.
A set of elements articulated to each other such as mentioned hereabove can give raise to most diverses applications: toys, realization of scaled models, furniture like shelves and bookcasings, or structures of greater dimensions such as show-boothes for example. The application to toys constitutes, however, in the present case, the main object of the invention. In this case, the elements can be constituted by polygonal plates, mostly triangles which, articulated to each other, will permit the realization of pyramids or polyhedrons. These polyhedrons can be connected to each other by their edges, that permits to constitute other polyhedrons. Owing to the multiple articulations, the polyhedrons which are realized can also be provided with internal walls; in the case the faces of these polyhedrons, as well as their internal walls, are provided with openings, the game could consist in letting go spherical bodies, or of other shape, through these openings, or to secure thereto complementary members, according to specific rules. If the elements of the toy are provided with figurative or symbolic patterns, their set could constitute spatial puzzles, at three-dimensions, giving supplementary possibilities with respect to the conventional puzzles which are in a plane.
As a matter of fact, the number of the applications of such a set of elements articulated to each other, even restricted to toys, is tremendously high.
b) Description of the Prior Art
It is to be noted that it is already known to articulate elements to each other, even in the field of toys, by means of protrusions provided on a rectilinear edge of each element. However, in the known realizations, on the one hand one cannot connect more than two elements by keeping the character of an articulation, the elements being then merely assembled and not articulated, and, on the other hand, when they are more than two, their connection can be obtained only by means of one of the elements, which constitutes an intermediate connecting member, without all the elements of the set, whatever they can be, can be articulated, by pairs, two by two.